The present invention relates to a designing apparastus and a designing method for use in designing fluid control devices which are useful, for example, for systems for fabricating semiconductors.
Fluid control devices are already known which are obtained by connecting a plurality of fluid controllers by a plurality of coupling members. Such a fluid control device is designed by preparing a plan view (see FIG. 7) of the actual fluid control device with reference to a flowchart (see FIG. 6) showing the component fluid controllers and connections thereof, then determining the coupling members required for interconnecting these controllers and thereafter preparing a list of components of the device and an estimate of the device.
With reference to FIG. 6, indicated at 51, 52, 54, 55 are on-off valves, at 53 massflow controllers (MFCs), at 56 check valves, at 57 massflow meters (MFMs), at 58 pressure sensors (PTs), at 59 pressure regulators (RGs), at 60 filters, at 61 manual valves (HVs), and 62 connecting piping between adjacent lines.
In FIGS. 6 and 7, like parts are designated by like reference numerals 51 to 62. For example in FIG. 7, the pair of on-off valves 51, 52 (54, 55) provided at the inlet (outlet) side of the massflow controller 53 are mounted on a single block 63 (64) and handled as a single component. Block couplings 65, 65 are attached respectively to the inlet side and outlet side of the massflow controller 53 to ensure facilitated connection to blocks 63, 64 adjacent to the controller. Thus, contrivances are added to the flowchart of FIG. 6 to show the actual fluid control device.
The two kinds of drawings will be described in detail. Although the fluid channels are apparent from the flowchart of FIG. 6 which is provided by the customer who is to use the fluid control device, no consideration is given to the drawing as to the sizes of the components or the spaces between adjacent members. On the other hand, FIG. 7 which is a plan view of the fluid control device prepared by the designer of the device shows the sizes of the components and the spacings between the adjacent members, whereas the drawing fails to clearly show the fluid channels through the components to the customer, and the worker who is to fabricate or inspect the device. Furthermore, much time and labor are required for determining the particular coupling members to be used or preparing a list of components of the device and an estimate thereof with reference to FIG. 7, and the procedures involved are very likely to permit occurrence human errors.
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for designing fluid control devices which makes it possible to prepare a flowchart showing not only the fluid channels but also the sizes of components or members and the spacings between the adjacent members.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for designing fluid control devices which is adapted to automatically prepare a three-dimensional assembly drawing of the fluid control device.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for designing fluid control devices which assures reduced time and labor in preparing a list of components of the device and an estimate thereof and which is adapted to eliminate the human errors to be involved in the preparation procedures.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a method of designing fluid control devices with a remarkably improved efficiency.
The present invention provides an apparatus for designing by a programmed computer a fluid control device to be obtained by connecting a plurality of fluid controllers by a plurality of coupling members, the apparatus comprising symbol mark memory means for storing fluid controllers usable in fluid control devices in terms of symbol marks representing the functions, fluid channels and contours of the controllers, instruction means for arranging the combination of symbol marks of the fluid controllers for use in the fluid control device to be designed, and a flowchart preparing means for preparing a flowchart of the fluid control device represented in symbol marks by the instruction means.
Examples of fluid controllers are monofunctional members such as massflow controllers, on-off valves, check valves, pressure regulators, filters, massflow meters and pressure sensors; a unit of two monofunctional members (for example, two on-off valves, or a filter and a pressure sensor) as mounted on a single block; and the assembly of a monofunctional member (such as a massflow controller) and a coupling member attached to each side of the member.
Preferably, the coupling member to be used is a so-called block coupling which is a rectangular parallelepipedal block formed with a communication fluid channel, whereas couplings other than block couplings are usable insofar as they are adapted to connect the fluid channels of fluid controllers.
Fluid control devices are obtained by connecting a plurality of fluid controllers by a plurality of coupling members. It is desirable to arrange the fluid controllers at an upper stage and the coupling members at a lower stage. In this case, the coupling members of lower stage are fastened to a base plate of aluminum or the like with screws, and each fluid controller of upper stage is fastened with screws to adjacent two of the coupling members like a bridge.
The symbol mark is such that for example, a controller, such as a valve, which is given a JIS designation is assigned a symbol mark comprising the JIS designation and an indication of the fluid channel and contour thereof. The massflow controller which has no JIS designation is given a symbol mark comprising an abbreviation or acronym, such as MFC, and an indication of the fluid channel and contour thereof. The contour is expressed in terms of the size in plan view. In the case where a controller differs from those of the same type only in fluid channel or in length, the controller is handled as another fluid controller, that is, it is referred to by a different symbol mark. Each fluid controller is assigned a suitable item number, the item number and the symbol mark thereof are used in a pair, and many such pairs are stored in the symbol mark memory means.
The specifications of the desired fluid control device are presented in the form shown in FIG. 6 by the process designer of the control functions of the device, while the fabrication designer of the device inputs into the designing apparatus the item number of each of the controllers having the corresponding control functions while giving consideration to various design factors, for example, as to whether two on-off valves are to be composed of two members, whether two on-off valves are to be provided by a single member as a unit, whether two adjacent valves are to be interconnected by welding a tube thereto, or whether two adjacent valves are to be interconnected by a block coupling. When the item number of a particular control device is input, the corresponding controller symbol mark is displayed on the screen of the apparatus. The fabrication designer affixes such symbol marks to the screen successively at specified positions to prepare a flowchart. Since the flow chart shows not only the functions of the component fluid controllers but also the fluid channels and contours thereof by symbol marks, the functions, fluid channels and sizes of the members to be used in the fluid control device are all manifestly shown.
Preferably, the designing apparatus further comprises controller data memory means for storing data as to the fluid controllers usable in fluid control devices, coupling member data memory means for storing data as to coupling members usable in fluid control devices, coupling member selecting means for selecting from the coupling member data memory means the coupling members required for connecting said plurality of fluid controllers with reference to the flowchart prepared, and assembly drawing preparing means for retrieving three-dimensional data as to the fluid controllers and the coupling members for use in the fluid control device to be designed from the corresponding memory means and preparing a three-dimensional assembly drawing of the fluid control device to be designed.
The data as to the fluid controllers and the coupling members includes the three-dimensional sizes of contours thereof (maximum values of length, width and height of each of these components and other required values) and the plan-view sizes of the fluid channels thereof (length of each fluid channel and the position of each opening of the channel from the reference value), and further includes weights, pressure loss and flow rate as reference values.
For example in the case where a block coupling having a V-shaped channel is to be used, the minimum distance between openings of the two fluid controllers to be interconnected by the block coupling is obtained from the controller data memory means, and different kinds of block couplings usable for connecting the controllers can be found from the coupling member data memory means on condition that the coupling should be greater than the minimum distance. The different kinds are displayed on the screen, enabling the fabrication designer to select a suitable coupling while giving consideration to other specifications of the fluid control device; for example, there may be a need to shorten the overall length of the device, or a need may arise to match the adjacent fluid controllers in position.
In this way, the required fluid controllers are determined one after another to select suitable coupling members, whereby all the members to be used in the fluid control device are determined. An assembly drawing of the device can be obtained by making these fluid controllers and coupling members three-dimensional using three-dimensional data stored in the corresponding data memory means. The drawings for use in fabricating the fluid control device, list of the component members and estimate can be automatically prepared with reference to the assembling drawing. The list of component members and the estimate thus obtained are free of the omission of any member or errors due to manual work and usable as highly reliable documents.
The present invention further provides a method of designing by a programmed computer a fluid control device to be obtained by connecting a plurality of fluid controllers by a plurality of coupling members, the method including the step of storing fluid controllers usable in fluid control devices in terms of symbol marks representing the functions, fluid channels and contours of the controllers, the step of arranging the combination of symbol marks of the fluid controllers for use in the fluid control device to be designed, and the step of preparing a flowchart of the fluid control device represented by the symbol marks.
Since the flow chart thus prepared shows not only the functions of the component fluid controllers but also the fluid channels and contours thereof by symbol marks, the functions, fluid channels and sizes of the members to be used in the fluid control device are all manifestly shown.
Preferably, the designing method further includes the step of storing data as to the fluid controllers usable in fluid control devices, the step of storing data as to coupling members usable in fluid control devices, the step of selecting the coupling members required for connecting said plurality of fluid controllers with reference to the flowchart prepared, and the step of retrieving three-dimensional data as to the fluid controllers and the coupling members for use in the fluid control device to be designed and preparing a three-dimensional assembly drawing of the fluid control device to be designed.